Social Media Is More than Just Selfie Central: Taking Your Franchise Social

Social media sites are more than just a place to post selfies, random updates
about your day, and funny cat videos. They’re also a great place
to raise brand awareness for your franchise and engage with potential
customers. And looking at the numbers, it’s not hard to see why.
Statistics show that
74% of consumers say their purchasing decisions are influenced by what
they read or view on social media, and 81% say their purchasing decisions are influenced by their friends’
social media posts.

Does your franchise have a strong presence on social media sites such as
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube? If not, other companies
are likely filling the gap and attracting customers that could have gone
to your franchisees. Now is the time to get serious about your social
media strategy!

Here are 3 reasons your franchise should be active on social media:

1. Likes & Followers = A Captive Audience of Qualified Leads

When people like or follow your franchise on social media, they usually
do it because they have some type of interest in your franchise, or in
the content you are posting. This means you are able to reach people who
are more likely to become future customers of your franchisees. Furthermore,
several social media sites allow you to segment your audience (such as
by geographic location, interests, demographics, company size, etc.) so
you can create more targeted posts. This makes it even easier for you
to send the right message to the right crowd!

2. Advertising on Facebook Is Much Cheaper than Other Forms of Advertising

With Facebook ads, you can reach thousands of potential customers for a
fraction of what you would spend in paid search advertising, and an even
smaller fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. And in addition
to being affordable, your Facebook advertisements will also be highly
relevant to your desired audience thanks to targeting and retargeting
(showing your ads to Facebook users who have visited your website in the
past). You can choose to use ads that appear along the sides of your followers’
feeds, or included right in their feeds with their regular posts.

Social media ads are an affordable way to engage a very specific audience,
and attract a large volume of impressions (views) and website visits.
You should, however, keep in mind that these types of ads do not produce
the same kinds of conversions/clients that paid search ads do. As a result,
it’s usually best to run your Facebook ad campaign as an add-on
to your current paid search strategy so you can get both brand exposure
and a good flow of new clients.

3. Social Media Creates a Way for People to Connect with Your Brand

When people read, view, and interact with content you post on your social
media profiles, they are connecting with your brand. With social media,
your users get to see what is important to your franchise (through what
you post); they get a more personal experience of your franchise’s
brand (such as through videos, photos, and your franchise’s unique
voice); and they even get to interact with your franchise through likes,
shares, and comments. It’s also a great way to keep your franchise
brand fresh in users’ minds!

To keep your social media followers properly engaged, make sure to post
content (on a consistent basis) that they would best interest your target
audience. You should also be sure to respond to all comments so you can
show your users that you’re readily available, and that you’re
interested in what they have to say.

Not sure what to post on your franchise’s social media page? Here
are a few ideas:

Helpful information and tips related to your industry

News updates about your franchise company and/or your franchisees

Industry news updates

Photos and videos of examples of your best work and/or of your team

Questions to spark discussion

Contests and special offers to help attract likes, shares, and followers

Advertisements

If you want to learn more about how to engage online users through social
media, download our free guide for franchises.

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About the Author

Stephen Bess is the Vice President of Franchise Marketing at Scorpion. Prior to joining Scorpion, Stephen spent more than 10 years in the print, web, and digital publishing industry as a head editor of several magazines. He is also a former professional baseball player the Detroit Tigers, a foodie, and an amateur chef. He enjoys learning, trying red wines, and traveling to Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, Napa, and Sonoma with his wife and his daughter.